Marriage

     The Pastoral Staff and Community of St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church extend their congratulations on your recent engagement. We pray that God’s blessing will guide you.
      Two people approaching the Church with the request to be married often come with conflicting ideas. For example, some people are afraid of the church and its regulations regarding the Sacrament of Matrimony. Others are resentful that the Church would dare to say anything about “MY” wedding. Some see their wedding as a sign of the covenant between Christ and the Church, a sign of his love and a sharing of the ministry of that love.
      Still others feel that all they want is “A NICE CHURCH” for the ceremony. The special event marking the beginning of your married life is your wedding. You have found each other; and now you are ready to marry each other. Therefore, this wedding ceremony should be marked with words, gestures, and music that are meaningful to you.
      However, your marriage also belongs to Christ and the Church. When you come to the Church to be married, you are asking the Church (the community of the faithful) to accept you and allow you to share in its vocation and the Sacrament of Marriage. The Church welcomes you and rejoices that another couple wants to mature in faith by living the Sacrament of Marriage.
      The Christian community will support you with their prayers for the rest of your life! It is this combination, you and the community, that makes Marriage in the Church so different and so holy.
The Sacrament of Marriage presumes that a couple believes in the message of Jesus Christ, and that this belief shapes their values, influences their attitudes, and motivates their behavior.
      St. Patrick - St. Anthony motto of open hearts, open minds, open doors was carefully chosen to reflect how we wish to enter into relationship with all who come to us.

Wedding Policies

In light of the many requests we receive for marriages to be performed in our church, and the Archdiocesan Policies along with our commitment to protect the sacredness of the Sacrament of Marriage, the following are the policies that have been established at St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church.

Our first priority must be given to our own parishioners to assure we can accommodate their request as best possible:

1. Parishioners – members of St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church who are presently registered (for six months or more) and a participating member of the worshipping community.

2. Extended Parishioners – If one of the engaged party's parents are registered (for six months or more) and participating members of the worshipping community. In this situation the engaged couple is required to request from their local parish a letter stating that they are members of the church and have permission to marry in the church of their parents.

3. Non-Parishioners – Request by couples to have their marriage performed at St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church who themselves and parents are not members of the parish are addressed on an individual basis. We recognize there are “pastoral situations” that bring you to our church. A priest will meet personally with you to determine whether your request can be honored. The engaged couple must have a letter stating their membership in a specific parish and permission granted to be married elsewhere in order to schedule their marriage with our church.

Please Note: The beauty of our church and its location to hotels and reception halls will not be considered as sound reasons for having your wedding conducted at St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church.

Weddings are generally conducted on Friday evening, Saturday morning and Saturday afternoon. Couples should contact the church office as early as possible but no later than six months prior to the desired date. Marriage Preparation is required of all couples.

Marriage Preparation Program

All couples planning to be wed in a Catholic ceremony are required, by the Archdiocese of Hartford, to attend a Marriage Preparation Program. While many parishes offer a six to eight week program, St. Patrick - St. Anthony offers a one day Marriage Preparation Program for couples several times each year. The day consists of presentations given by six to eight married couples from the parish. The topics include coping with stress, communication skills, decision-making, finance, sexuality, commitment, sacrament of marriage and prayer. The day ends with the celebration of the Eucharist and a reception with hors d’’oeuvres.

Those with pre-existing conflicts should consult the presiding priest for options. Those who live outside the Archdiocese of Hartford and cannot attend this program are required to attend a similar program in the diocese in which they live.

1. For those getting married here at St. Patrick-St. Anthony Church the cost of this program is included in your Wedding fee. It is important that couples try to attend a session at least two months before their wedding. We would ask couples getting married here to sign up for one of the sessions as soon as possible. We ask you to please fill out the form below and mail it back to the Church.

2. For those registered parishioners (of more than six months), who are getting married in another church and need to attend a Marriage Preparation Program, there will be a $75.00 charge per couple to help with the cost of the program. The fee must be paid at least three weeks in advance to reserve your place in the program. We ask you to please fill out the form below and mail it back to the Church.

3. For those non-registered parishioners, who are getting married in another church and would like to participate in our Marriage Preparation Day you may not sign up until 5 weeks before the schedule day. This is to ensure that there are spaces for wedding couples getting married here at St. Patrick and St Anthony Church, and parishioners (of more than six months) to have an opportunity to attend the session. There will be a $75.00 charge per couple to help with the cost of the program. The fee must be paid at least three weeks in advance to reserve your place in the program.